With SmackDown moving to Fridays on October 4, it made me think of all of my favourite SmackDown memories because for most of my career, I was a SmackDown Superstar. It’s a show pretty close to my heart.

I started my WWE career on SmackDown when I made my debut against Michelle McCool in April of 2008. It seems like a lifetime ago, but I remember it all very clearly. It was such a special time for me because being on SmackDown made me feel like I was in the big leagues, and indeed I was! A few months after debuting on SmackDown, I’d go on to compete for the first-ever Divas Championship in a match against Michelle McCool. It took me two more years of working hard on SmackDown to finally win that title and it took me another seven years after that to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Naomi. Those personal SmackDown memories for me will remain priceless.

With it being such an exciting time for the SmackDown brand, I started thinking about what’s stood out to me since the show started. There have been so many incredible moments, such as when Edge faced Eddie Guerrero in a “NO DQ” ladder match in 2002. It was an incredibly exciting match, and when Eddie Guerrero hit a sunset flip off the ladder onto the floor, it’s still a wonder to me how Edge kicked out. Replaying that epic SmackDown match over again in my mind reminds me of how much SmackDown helped build and showcase WWE Superstars and Hall of Famers like Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Edge, Brock Lesnar and my favourite, Rey Mysterio, just to name a few. Who could forget when Rey Mysterio, arguably the greatest luchador of all time, made his WWE debut on SmackDown.

I also remember moments that were more obscure, but just as special for me to watch as a “fan” like when The Hart Dynasty, David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd faced Jeff Hardy in a handicap match in Edmonton, Alta., in 2009. Jeff Hardy is one of the most special and unique stars in WWE and to watch him compete against Kidd and Smith in Alberta, the place where they started their careers, was so fun to watch. You could feel the energy of the audience, too, as they knew it was something special to witness! The crowd roared for all three in the match. My husband, TJ Wilson (also known as Tyson Kidd), said “it was a match that I knew would be special, being that Alberta is where I had my very first match of my career. Then making it to WWE, being able to team with my best friend, Harry Smith and competing against Jeff Hardy was and still is surreal to me. Jeff wanted us to showcase our very best work against him, and I think we did that and more.”

Calgary’s own Tyson Kidd applying a chin lock to Jeff Hardy at Smackdown in Edmonton, when Hardy took on the Hart Dynasty. (WWE Photo)

So many great memories and so many more to come when SmackDown moves to Friday nights beginning October.